Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 497 Don't Play Tricks and Play Tricks

Musk deer is a mammal of the genus Musk in the family Muskdae in the order Artiodactyla. It is also known as musk deer, mountain donkey, and musk deer. It has dark brown body color with spots on the hair on its back. The most obvious feature is the obvious white or light brown vertical stripes from both sides of the neck to the armpits.

The mountain donkey is small, with thin limbs and long hind limbs. When standing, its hips are higher than its shoulders. Both males and females have no horns, but the males have a pair of upper canine teeth protruding outside their lips. Their lifespan is generally around 15-19 years.

They like to live alone and are active at dawn and dusk. They eat basically the same food as roe deer. They are in heat from October of the current year to January of the following year, with a gestation period of 10-1 months. They give birth in June and July, with 5-6 cubs per litter, mostly 6.

The mountain donkey thrown out of the room by Li Laosan has been skinned. The exposed flesh is bright red with occasional white areas. There is a hairy spherical object in the can placed on the ground. It is the mountain donkey's sachet.

Da Laba first weighed the meat and bones including the head and hooves with a beam, a total of 15 jin, and then weighed the sachet with a scale, the total was 6 qian, which was almost the same as what Li Er said. Guan Lei stuffed the meat and bones of the mountain donkey into the sack. When he was about to take the can containing the sachet into his arms, Li Laosan snatched it away. He opened the can and handed the sachet to Guan Lei.

Li Laosan grinned and said, "I can't give you this can."

Guan Lei nodded and took the sachet in his hand, while Da La Ba stood there counting the money. After handing 132 yuan to Boss Li, he instructed: "The total is 132 yuan, check whether it is correct."

Boss Li took the stack of change with a smile and counted them one by one very seriously. It took him about three to five minutes to finish counting. He said, "That's right, not a penny off."

Da Loudspeaker picked up the scale and the balance and said, "That's it. Next time you need any meat, just come to Taiping and find me. No need to ask someone to pass the message."

The three Li brothers were stunned when they heard this. Seeing that Da Laba and Guan Lei were already walking towards the courtyard, they hurriedly chased after them and said, "Well, I happened to run into Lan Dadan a few days ago, and he asked me..."

The loud speaker didn't continue the conversation, but just waved his hand and said, "Let's go."

"Hey, walk slowly, big brother! From now on, the three of us will gather our animals and come to find you first."

Daba opened the passenger door, stepped on the pedal with one foot, looked back and smiled, "Okay, I just need your words."

After closing the car door, Guan Leisong released the clutch and stepped on the accelerator to drive the car forward. The three Li brothers stood at the gate and watched until the car disappeared, then they hurried into the house.

"Brother, let's share the money! Hahahaha... I never thought that a 20-jin mountain donkey could be sold for more than 100 yuan."

Li Er frowned and scolded, "Why are you so anxious? The three of us will split it equally and each will get 44. 4 yuan will be used for living expenses and to buy cigarettes and alcohol for our dad. The remaining 40 yuan is for our personal savings."

Boss Li sat on the edge of the kang and took out some money. He counted the money and said, "Do you know who the guy sitting here was?"

"Isn't he a relative of our eldest brother?" said Li Laosan.

Li Er shook his head: "I don't think so. No, he is a relative. He should be Xu Er's buddy. I think his name is Guan Lei... Didn't you hear Lan Dadan say that there are four brothers, Xu Er, Li Dabenshi, Wang Huzi, and a skinny guy?"

"Ah, then he is Xu Er's sworn brother Guan Lei!"

Boss Li pushed the divided money in front of the two men and said, "Well, finally, Big Brother gave us three a word, don't you know what it means? Hey, from now on when we do business with Big Brother, we'd better be honest and don't play tricks on us."

Li Er said, "From the beginning I said I would go directly to Taiping to find my eldest brother and ask him if he would accept it, but you two insisted on not doing it."

"Don't talk after the fact. They took the incense and meat. I estimate that they made at least five dollars."

Li Er frowned and said, "Brother, they can make money because of their ability. Why can't the three of us earn the extra five dollars?"

"Because I'm poor!" Li Laosan spread his hands.

Li Er shook his head speechlessly: "..."

Inside the car, Da Laba carefully observed the sachet in his hand. He put it under his nose and sniffed it, then coughed twice. The smell was a bit pungent.

Guan Lei said with a smile: "If this amount of musk is sold to a pharmaceutical factory in the provincial capital, can it be worth 140 yuan?"

Hearing this, Daba shook his head and said, "I don't know how the pharmaceutical factory collects the money. Since you said you can make some money, then you definitely won't lose money."

The two men returned to Qing'an and parked the car directly in front of Lao Xu's courtyard. They got out of the car and carried the musk meat to the outer room.

At this moment, a group of old ladies were making buns in the east and west rooms and the outer room. The buns were filled with radish and vermicelli. The radish was quite flavorful at this time, and it was crispy and sweet when bitten.

"Hey, what did you two get?" Sun Lianfang asked curiously with her eyes wide open.

Da La Ba said with a smile: "I went to Tai'an to buy musk meat and musk."

Liu Lizhen was surprised and asked, "Musk meat? Who did you buy it from?"

"The three brothers of the Li family in Tai'an, the three of them..."

Loudspeaker explained, "This musk must be sealed in a can and stored in the cellar."

Sun Lianfang played with the musk, Meng Ziyan and Guan Hua came over to look at it, and Liu Lizhen turned her head and asked, "How much meat is there?"

"It's a little over 15 kilograms including meat and bones."

"Why is there so little meat?"

Da Loudspeaker said with a smile: "Auntie, this mountain donkey is not big to begin with. It only weighs 20 to 30 kilograms when it grows up. If we can skin it and cut off some meat, 15 kilograms is not a small amount."

"Ah, who bought it?"

"My brother bought it."

Liu Lizhen put down the buns and walked towards the west room, saying, "How much is it in total? I'll give you the money."

"Aunt, no need! My brother gave me the money, and there is still a lot left."

Guan Lei also said: "Yes, Auntie, my brother got the money. My brother also said that the two brothers Hu Zhibin from Taiping came to help with the work..."

Liu Lizhen nodded: "I know, I saw it just now when Lianfang went to deliver the thermos. I was just thinking about what to cook for lunch. It's their first time here, so I can't just give them steamed buns."

Zhang Guifang said, "My brother has arranged everything for us. Musk meat and some cold dishes should be enough for us to eat."

"Oh, it's just over 15 kilograms. Is it edible? Only 8 kilograms of meat will be left after removing the bones." Liu Lizhen was quite worried. How to divide it among more than people?
The loud speaker laughed and said, "Hahaha, old lady, this is a whole donkey. There's no more. And we can't eat it all. We have to leave some for the next meal."

"I can eat it all in one meal..."

"Don't drip, don't drip. Leave some for Dalong to taste."

Wu Qiuxia said: "Sister, if it really doesn't work, just keep the head and four hooves, and a little more meat."

"That's fine. Lianfang, go to the cellar and see how much bear meat is left. Let's stew it."

"okay!"

Guan Lei walked around the outer room and said, "Auntie, shall we chop the meat? How big should we chop it into?"

"It only needs to be the size of a palm. The axe is under the kitchen sink."

Sun Lianfang put the musk into cans and sent them to the cellar, and then took out more than ten pounds of bear meat from the cellar. As soon as she exposed her head, she saw Guan Lei swinging an axe vigorously.

She grinned and said, "Oh my god, Little Stone is really capable!"

Guan Lei turned his head and asked, "You have nothing to say?"

"Hey, look at this, why are you so popular, little cutie! Who are you trying to charm?"

Da Laba squatted beside him and spread his legs apart. Hearing this, he immediately laughed: "Hahaha, Lianfang is coaxing a child here? Oh my god, Leizi, why is your face so red?"

Guan Lei said sullenly: "Do something to warm yourself up..."

"Hahaha, you are even more capable of talking nonsense." "..."

After the two men finished chopping the musk meat, they went to the north end of the construction site and saw Xu Ning and four others unloading large bluestones. They ran over to lend a hand and told them what had happened.

Hu Zhibin heard this and complained, "Erning, you said I came here to do some work, but you still bought musk meat to treat me?"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Brother Bin, don't think too much. I made an agreement with my brother last night. Whether you come or not..."

"You two made the appointment last night. I told you when I got off the bus before I came back in the afternoon. I know you took the trouble."

"Haha, let's have a drink at noon."

Hu Zhiyong asked: "What does musk deer meat taste like? I have been hiking in the mountains for many years and have never caught a donkey."

Dababa interjected, "Don't say you haven't caught one. Even Xu Pao hasn't caught one a few times. I heard that Xu Pao caught a mother and her calf a few years ago, but he let them go."

"What?"

Xu Ning said: "Why else? I'm pregnant."

"Ah, then how do you eat this mountain donkey meat?"

"The simplest way to eat it is to boil it, then tear it into strips and dip it in garlic sauce or salt."

Hu Zhibin said: "This is almost like dog meat."

"Well, more complicated ways to eat it are stewing, stir-frying or braising, and also serving it cold with sauce..."

The loud speaker asked, "Brother, have you eaten it before?"

"I have. I picked one from Xuanyang Peak in Xiaoxing'an Mountains. I didn't have any seasoning and grilled it over charcoal. It tasted almost like venison."

"Oh my god, have you been to Xuanyang Peak? I heard that place is even more magical than the Tiger Leaping Cliff over in Sandaohe."

Xu Ning pushed the big bluestone and said, "It's nothing weird. It's just that the terrain is a bit messy, with cliffs and culverts everywhere."

The scenery of Xuanyang Peak is beautiful and graceful, with rugged mountains, rugged rocks and steep cliffs.

It used to be called Liangbailazi. Later, a group of wild goats lived on the cliffs of this mountain most of the time to avoid being hunted by carnivorous beasts, so it was called Xuanyang, and the mountain was also named Xuanyang Peak.

"Have you ever seen a hanging sheep? I heard that the blood of a hanging sheep can be used to make wine..."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "The hanging sheep is a wild goat. Its blood can be used to make wine and stir-fry chili peppers. I have never seen a hanging sheep, but many hikers have said that the hanging sheep is a god. I don't know what's going on."

Li Fuqiang was smoking a cigarette, and Da Loudspeaker took over and said, "I heard someone say this before. It seems that Zhang Laoshuai's sworn brother once wanted to find a hanging sheep for him, because a man in the Qing Dynasty drank the blood of a hanging sheep and cured his hidden disease. But Zhang Laoshuai's sworn brother asked many hunters, but in the end they couldn't find the hanging sheep, so Zhang Laoshuai was blown to death."

Hu Zhibin said: "That person should be Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty."

"Yes, yes, it's quite mysterious anyway."

Xu Ning was not very interested in the hanging sheep because he knew that the hanging sheep was a wild goat. If there really was such a magical animal, it would have been extinct long ago.

From his point of view, the blood of hanging sheep is like a panacea. Even if it exists, it will never fall into his mouth. It has long been kept in captivity by the gods and eaten as food.

At noon, everyone put down their work and got in their cars and drove towards Old Xu's house.

They lined up to wash their hands and faces in the courtyard. Liu Daming looked at the wide-open windows and the sweaty Liu Lizhen and other old ladies, and frowned and muttered, "We have to build two more stoves, otherwise we won't be able to bear the day."

It is really unbearable. The temperature at noon can reach 25 or 26 degrees. When cooking is done in the house, the temperature emitted from the kang and the fire wall will make the temperature in the house reach more than 30 degrees. Even with the windows open and wearing short sleeves and a vest, I still sweat.

Li Fuqiang replied, "Uncle, let's just play together. We worked well together last time."

"Okay, after dinner we'll go get some bricks and soil."

"Okay!"

There were four tables in the two rooms. After everyone sat down one after another, Xu Laonian took out two pots of wine from the cabinet and said to everyone, "Can we all drink less?"

Lao Zhang shook his head and said, "It's too hot today. I won't drink it."

Yu Kaihe said: "I have to work on the shelves to lay bricks in the afternoon, so I won't drink."

"..."

Everyone shook their heads and said they didn't want to drink. Xu Laonian could only focus his eyes on the Hu Zhibin brothers and said, "Zhibin and Zhiyong need to drink something."

Seeing that no one else was drinking, Hu Zhibin felt embarrassed to drink alone, so he said, "Come on, forget it. We still have to work in the afternoon. Drinking will delay things."

At this time, Liu Lizhen came into the room carrying two plates of steamed buns and said, "These old people are busy, they don't need you two, what can you delay?"

Xu Ning smiled and advised, "Brother Bin, drink less. Uncle Zhang and Uncle Yu won't drink unless they want to. You finally got a few days' rest, and Brother Yong is just getting better. How can we not drink when we get home? If you two don't drink, I will stop drinking from now on."

"Hahaha... Erning is really good at making trouble!"

"You can quit if you want to, but you put all the blame on Zhibin and Dayong."

Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "What do you call this in my own words? It's called moral kidnapping!"

“Hahahaha…” Everyone laughed wildly with their heads raised.

Xu Ning looked at the Hu Zhibin brothers and said, "Brother Bin and Brother Yong, let's drink less."

Bin and Yong also wanted to drink, but no one in the room was drinking, so they were the only three drinking alone, which made them feel unhappy.

Liu Lizhen clapped her hands and said, "You can blame me too! I thought Zhang'er and Brother Yu would drink a little, but I didn't expect them to not give me face this afternoon."

"Haha, sister-in-law, I complain that the weather is too hot, not directed at you." Lao Zhang said with a smile.

Xu Laonian pointed to the east wing and said, "Then let's do this. Huzi, go put a table in the east wing and let the brothers drink in the east wing. It's just right that they can have some peace and quiet and talk about anything. They can't tempt us with wine."

"That's right, let them go to the east wing to drink, so they won't make us jealous."

"Okay, I'll go set up the table!"

Xu Ning pushed Bin and Yong to the door of the house, turned his head and said, "Brother, you and my brother Ye should come over too, you two have to keep us company for drinks."

"Okay, I'll bring two dishes over later." Dababa said with a smile.

He and Li Ye are both peaceful, and the relationship between Da Laba and Lao Hu's family is getting better and better. Lao Hu has nothing to say about Da Laba. Two months ago, Lao Hu approved a residential plot for Da Laba, which is about one mu and two mu of land. There is also a four mu vegetable garden in front of the courtyard. Now Da Laba makes money to build a house...

Li Ye and Hu Zhiyong are brothers. His uncle Lao Deng and Lao Hu have a very good relationship. After all, they are all family members.

Wang Hu placed a kang table in the east wing and specially covered it with a large tabletop, otherwise there would be no room for the dishes and buns.

After everyone entered the house with dishes and buns, Meng Ziyan, Guan Hua and Sun Lianfang also came in with bowls, chopsticks, Wuliangye liquor and wine glasses.

Hu Zhibin looked at the bottle and said, "Hey, why are you still drinking Wuliangye when you're at home? Erning, don't be polite with me, change the loose basket quickly, and save the Wuliangye for your wedding."

(End of this chapter)